ATS Report Shares Safety Benefits of Red-Light Safety Cameras

Tempe, AZ — American Traffic Solutions (ATS), the leading road safety camera provider in North America, is pleased to release its white paper “How to Help Eliminate Dangers on the Road and Keep Intersections Safe”. The report shares examples from communities in the United States and around the globe on the dangers of red-light running as well as the facts on how red-light safety cameras enhance intersection safety by helping to change driver behavior.

“Across the country and throughout the world communities with red-light safety camera programs have seen the benefits they provide. Red-light running is dangerous, deadly and preventable. The evidence is clear, red-light cameras help change driver behavior for the better,” said David Roberts, ATS President and Chief Operating Officer.

On average, four people are injured or killed in a motor vehicle crash every minute in the United States. Red-light running crashes alone caused nearly 700 deaths and an estimated 129,000 injuries in 2013. California, Texas and Florida lead the nation in red-light running fatalities. These preventable crashes do more than impose a high-dollar expense on families and communities, they change lives forever. Red-light safety cameras are a valuable tool for law enforcement to use to help reduce the number of collisions, injuries, and fatalities that occur as a result of red-light running.

With red-light safety cameras in place, Florida reports a 49 percent decrease in fatal red-light running crashes, and New York says red-light running pedestrian injuries are down 31 percent. These improvements are not isolated. A research study of large U.S. cities discovered red-light safety cameras reduce fatal red-light running crashes by 24 percent. These lifesaving and injury preventing benefits are further quantified in a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These are just a few of the facts presented in the white paper, but the data overall is clear, red-light safety cameras work.

Along with saving lives and reducing costs, red-light safety cameras also multiply a police department’s force by freeing officers to address other crimes. As the white paper shows, cameras provide an additional public safety service. Often, police use camera video and still images to investigate hit-and-run collisions, assaults and homicides. On average, police make 335 requests each month to ATS for video footage and photographs from road safety cameras.

“Each year in the United States, hundreds die and more than 100,000 others are injured in red-light collisions,” added Roberts. “These are not “accidents,” but rather the predictable result of what happens when drivers fail to comply with traffic laws. Red-light safety camera enforcement is an effective deterrent to this dangerous and sometimes mindless behavior.”